Partition for containers



Sept. 18, 1928.

A. G. SMITH PARTITION FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 16, 1926 l l I I l I l I lZZ l I l l I l l I l Patented Sept. 18, 1928 UNITED STATES ARCHIBA'LD Gr. SMITH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

PARTITION FOR CONTAINERS.

Application filed January 16, 1926. Serial No. 81,697.

This invention relates to improvements in partitions for boxes or other containers and more particularly to partitions of this kind made of cardboard or similar flexible material.

The objects of this invention are to provide a partition of this kind which is so formed as to be retained in its correct relation to the box by means of the articles in the box also to provide a partition of this kind having an integral flange extending over the articles arranged on opposite sides of the partition so that the articles are securely held in their places at opposite sides of the partition; also to provide a partition of this kind which is so formed as to reinforce the bottom and side walls of the container to prevent sagging or deformation and breaking thereof; and also to improve the construction of partitions of this kind in other respects hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a box showing a portion of the cover and partition broken away.

Fig. 2. is a tion thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view of the the partition is formed.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the partition.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective View thereof.

The box with which my improved partition is used may be of any suitable or desired construction or material and of itself forms no part of this invention. In the particular construction illustrated a cardboard box is shown the body portion thereof including a bottom 10, side walls 11 and end walls 12, and the box may be closed by means of a cover telescoping over the open end of the box and having a top wall 14, side walls 15 and end walls 16.

The partition may extend either lengthwise or transversely of the box so as to separate the articles contained in the two portions of the box. and this partition is preferably made of cardboard or other flexible material which can be readily folded, and is preferably made of a single piece. The partition is preferably substantially I-shaped in cross section including an upright web or wall portion. an upper and a lower substan tially horizontal flange, the lower flange being adapted to rest against the bottom of the box in such a manner that the articles on transverse end, sectional elevablank from which both sides of the partition will rest partly on the two parts of the lower flange and thus assist in holding the partition in its operative position in the box and also relieve the bottom of the box of some of the strains which would tend to cause the middle of the bottom to sag or break. The upper flange is adapted to extend above articles and to pretent the ends thereof nearest to the partition from lifting up so that some of the articles in one side of the partition can shift to the other side thereof. This is particularly important in cases where the box is used as a container for hair pins or similar articles, which it mixed, become tangled and are diflicult to separate.

In the particular construction shown the partition is made of a single sheet of cardboard or other flexible material, the middle portion 20 of the sheet forming the upper face of the upper flange of the partition. At the edges of the portion 20 are two portions 21 and 22 which are adapted to be bent under the portion 20 and to extend parallel therewith to approximately the center of the top flange and to form the lower faces of this flange. These lower portions 21 and 22 of the top flange. terminate in web portions 23 and 2a which are folded to lie parallel to each other and to form the upright partor web of the partition. At the lower ends of the web portions 23 and 2& are base flanges 25 and 26 which are bent outwardly away from each other and are adapted to rest on the bottom of the box in such a manner that the articles placed at each side of the partition Wall rest partly upon these base flanges. All of the flanges and the web portions described are of sufficient length to extend the entire distance between two opposite walls of the container or box.

At the opposite ends of the web portions 23, 2% are provided flaps or upright flanges 30 which are bent at right angles to the web portions and to extend substantially parallel to and in engagement with the opposite side walls of the box which the partition connccts, and if desired, the bottom flanges 25, 26 may be provided with corresponding flaps or extensions 31 which may be bent upwardly also parallel to the side walls of the box which the partition connects. Consequently when the box is filled with the articles, the articles will press laterally against the flanges 30 and 31 and hold the same into engagein'ent with the side walls of the box.

The flanges 30 also prevent any of the articles from entering into or passing through the space between the ends of the partition and the spaces between the ends of the partit-ion and the opposite side Walls of the box and furthermore prevent the pressure of the articles in the box from pressing or bulging the middle portions of the side walls outwardly or possibly breaking the side walls.

By means of the construction shown the top flange and Web portion of the partition are made of double thickness so as to alford the greatest amount of strength in those portions of the partition which are unsupported by parts of thebox itself, while the bottom flange and the end flanges 30 and 31 are of single thickness since these portions of the partition require less strength owing to the fact that they contact and cooperate With and are partly supported by the bottom of the box and the opposite sides of the box.

The partition may be simply inserted into a box and the hair pins or other articles placed at opposite sides thereof as indicated in Fig. 1. The partition can, if desired, be glued or cemented to the box by applying glue to the base flanges and 26 and, if desired, to the end flanges 30, 31 so that these flanges adhere to the bottom and opposite walls respectively of the box. It has been found, however, that when this partition is used in connection with hair pins or similar articles, no gluing of the partition into the box is necessary since the weight of the articles themselves and their arrangements transversely to the direction of the length of the partition serves to hold the partition in place.

By means of the construction shown a Very secure and reliable partition is provided which positively keeps the articles from one side of the partition from mixing with the articles on the other side thereof. By means of the particular construc tion of the partition shown, the material of the partition is very elliciently utilized in that the portions thereof requiring greater strength are made double. The partition can be formed from blanks such as shown in Fig. 3 which involves the minimum of weight. The partition described also greatly reinforces the box or container in that the partition prevents sagging of the bottom and the opposite side walls of the container, since the bottom flanges 25 and 26 and the side flanges 3O carry the greater part of the strain to which the bottom and the side walls of the box would be subjected if the partition were not used. The web portions 23 and 24, due to the fact that they are formed integral with the flanges and flaps, serve in the nature of a truss to prevent the deformation or sagging of the bottom and opposite side walls of the container.

I claim as my invention 1. A partition for a container made of a single piece of sheet material folded upon itself intermediate its ends to provide an upright web portion and a top flange of double thickness of material, its free ends forming bottom flanges extending outwardly in opposite directions to the bottom of the web portion and adapted to restagainst the bottom of the container.

2. A partition for a container made of a single piece of folded sheet material and having an upright web portion and a top flange of double thickness of material, bottom flanges extending outwardly in opposite directions to the bottom of the web portion and adapted to rest against the bottom of the container, and flanges at the opposite ends of said web portion which are adapted to extend parallel to the opposite side walls of the container.

3. A partition for a container, said partition being made of a single sheet of material bent so that the middle portion there of forms the upper part of a horizontal top flange of the partition, web portions connected with the top portion of said flange by means of integral portions extending from the upper edges of the web portions to the outer edges of the flanges, bottom flanges extending outwardly from the lower edges of said web portions and adapted to rest against the bottom of the container, and flange portions bent outwardly from the opposite ends of said web portion and adapted 190 to bear against the opposite side walls of a container.

4. A partition for a container, said partition being made of a single sheet of material bent so that the middle portion there- 05 of forms the upper part of a horizontal top flange of the partition, web portions connected with the top portion of said flange by means of integral portions extending from the upper edges of the web portions to the outer edges of the flanges, bottom flanges extending outwardly from the lower edges of said web portions and adapted to rest against the bottom of the container, flange portions bent outwardly from the opposite ends of said web portion and adapted to bear against the opposite side walls of a container, and flaps on the ends of said bottom flanges which are adapted to extend up wardly parallel with the end flanges of said web portion.

5. A partition for a container, comprising a single sheet of bendable material, bent upon two spaced approximately parallel lines in its central portion to form one end of an I, the bent sections being doubled back toward one another upon the same face of the sheet, the doubled back portions at their meeting being further bent to extend face to face and together away from said end of the I to form the Web of the I, the free edge sections of the Web being bent away from one another normal to the plane of the Web to form the other end of the I.

6. A partition for a container, comprising a single sheet of bendable material, bent upon two spaced approxii'l'iately parallel lines in its central portion to form one end of an I, the bent sections being doubled back toward one another upon the same face of the sheet, the doubled back portions at their meeting being further bent to extend face to face and together away from said end of the I to form the Web of the 15 I the free edge sections of the Web being bent away from one another normal to the plane of the Web to form the other end of the I, the free ends of the sections of the sheet forming the web and the said other 20 end of the I being bent laterally to the I to form end flanges therefor.

ARCHIBALD G. SMITH. 

